Step 1: Run taught support wire between trees

I happened to have a decent sized spool of steel wire laying around, so I cut it in half, then tied 2 ends to a length of twine and wrapped it around one tree. I then took the remaining 2 ends of the wire and wrapped them around some nails I had implanted into a tree on the other side of the campsite. I tied them around a couple pieces of firewood to provide tension on the lines. I wrapped one of the nails in a couple layers of electrical tape to prevent voltage leaking into the tree.

Step 2: Wire it up

I initially hooked up the jumper cables directly to the steel wire, but I found out it offered WAY too much resistance to run anything past a couple of feet. I needed some copper to run along the steel support wire to provide a better path. I had a spool of wire on me that happened to reach most of the way, so I sliced it in half, and peeled back the insulation in about 10 spots per run to attach to the steel. For the remaining length, I had a piece of lumex about 7 feet long to make the remainder.

So the run was battery>Jumper cables>Lumex>copper wire & steel support

I also wrapped one of the jumper cable ends in electrical tape to prevent shorting (I have yet to install all this into a box with a fused distribution block)

NICE! I'm actually looking to do a battery setup that will power my guitar soundboard for outdoor events with no outlets. Thanks for this start. It's sad to see people bashing you for your information. This is useful for many purposes and not just ruining camper's lives. But, some people can't think outside themselves.

I'm rebuilding the speaker side of things, probably this weekend. A new battery just came in (deep cycle gel type) and I'll be building the speaker as a single unit, probably with an ipod dock, A2DP receiver, and a few input jacks. I'll post here when I do. This battery was a big wet lead acid type, and doesn't like being turned around, etc... I've done some damage to it for sure (but I still have it). For powering various electronics, there are good DC-DC converters now that weren't around 5 years ago, and that makes projects like this easier. I'll be using those for ipod connections etc when I re-build. Good luck with your setup. For guitar effects pedals, I seem to remember them all taking similar voltage, so you may be able to get away with just plugging them all into a battery, but it might be worth it to put little voltage regulators, not sure. Ask around,

Dang you camp in style! If someone is considering this consider using a class D amplifier (aka "digital" ) as they are much more efficient (use less battery) than tradition designs. Also when selecting you speakers consider the sensitivity rating. Typically in the 80-97 dB range, a 3db increase in sensitivity is equivalent to a doubling of perceived sound output for the same amount of power! For a lightweight option consider a battery powered amp (such as the one offered by partsexpress), running off AA batteries it fits in your hand and will power a speaker with 15 watts for about a day. To go further consider a transducer/exciter that you attach to a piece of foam core/ poster board. Not high fi and not much bass but backpackable! (yeah, I have been thinking about this for awhile)

Yeah. I'm putting an inverter into the mix and plugging the pedal into that. It's a Digitech Vocal 300 http://vocalistpro.com/product.php?name=Vocal300 for my mic. I wish they would have built a battery option into it. But, no. So, I have to figure it out. And I have very BASIC knowledge of wiring and such. so, it's slow going unfortunately. But, thanks again for the start here.

The input of the pedal is going to be DC, almost without doubt. What pedal is it? PM me, I bet it can be made to work without the inverter. Check out http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Power-Supply-For-Your-Guitar-Pedals. You don't even need the first bit, with the transformers and rectifier if you are building off a battery.

I'm almost forced to follow suit for lighting, but I plan to do a much more elegant method that will only light up my tent and my cooking area, when i want it to. I'd rather not fark around with gas lanterns that burn a different gas than my stove, or go out and buy more stuff that I need (all I need are the lights, @ $4/ea vs $40 for a camp lanturn, plus gas) The battery powered lights for camping look like shat anyway!

RE:Bob thebuilder. I've gone to Burning Man for 11 years straight. BM is ALL about sustainability (and creating a community) and making SURE that the 'scape is the same when you leave as when you arrived. Yet, people bring up gas/diesel generators and all sorts of other means (solar, propane etc.) to allow them to power anything from a boom box to a PA system...in the middle of the desert. We DON'T want to stay in the city (at least for that long weekend), we want to get out where things are wilder, whether it is a dust-storm, 110 degree heat, monsoon rains or whatever. I'm guessing that all Gimpy wanted to do was get AWAY from the city for a weekend as well; yet he wanted a minor few of the creature comforts of modern life, like lighting and music. WTF is so wrong with that, or the creative way he went about? Bob...Don't ever show up at Burning Man or we'll roast you over the VERY high powered nitrogen/diesel/propane spit we take up there to cook with. Lay off Gimpy and go back to your TV; or SecondLife.com where all is as you want it.....

You guys like to get away from civilization, he likes lights and music. So what? Camping is about doing something you enjoy. He enjoys doing his thing, you enjoy doing your thing. That shouldn't be a problem. He shouldn't do something that makes the trip less enjoyable for him because if you were the one camping it would be more enjoyable for you. You aren't him, He isn't you. Leave him the heck alone already.

i dont know why everyone is giving you so much hell over this, i personally like the idea and when i go camping i take along with my huge tent, a tv, vcr, fridge, toilet, coffee maker, almost the whole house but SO THE HELL WHAT, i like to be comfortable and i like to be outdoors and if thats what i like why should someone rag me for it, and i was just camping last week at a campground and every tent camper there had tv's, microwaves, and i even saw one with a milk crate sitting on the outside of the tent window with an air conditioner on it, but anyway your idea was good and it gave me NUMEROUS ideas to work on. Thanks

bobthebuilder has responded with uncalled for aggression and should possibly get himself out to the woods for a wee walk to calm down, but the description of jj327405's idea of camping makes me cringe. The above post describes a vulgar display of conspicuous consumption that is a true enemy to nature AND the development of creative intelligence. An attempt is made to support this position, gauging personal ethical rights by implementing everyone else and saying they are all doing it (ie the A.C. on milk crate and such). That is no way to support or prove anything, It only proliferates the mindless consumer society where no one is personally accountable for their actions, only a mass of immoral sheep pointing at everyone else and saying, "But they're doing it too!" (if sheep could talk). It confuses me that you find any happiness in transporting the contents of your house to the woods and sitting in front of the tv. I wonder do you stare transfixed to nature programs whilst in the wilds? Or do you sit proudly in the comfort of your tent watching fly-on-the-wall docusoaps showing poor saps going about their daily work in the city? I like sport, but could happily do without the screaming fans while deep in the outback. switch it off.. you'll probably sleep more soundly and your kids, should you have any, will thank you when their older. The instructable is well described and has very nice pics but does describe a basic lighting contraption and amp/speaker system better suited for a workshop or out-building rather than a tranquil forest.

Sheesh! I suspect bobthebuilder may one of those campers who's RV generator who we have to listen to most of the day , so thy can enjoy the comfort of AC, so why don't they stay at their AC home? wires wrapped around a tree are as temporary, and no more destructive than a campsite cloths line is, bob is digging for something to bellyache about here. Long distance anonymous threats are,IMO the act of a "punk", and there are old punks as well as young ones Another mentioned LEDs, they have their place,but may be a bit wimpy in the application. Anyway the man was using what he had on hand. I suspect the first campsite battery power "light string" appeared when someone took a construction site string camping. Gimpy's instructable was his independent implementation of something old, but it' there to give other's an idea to build one. The first I have seen on the web, so great job Gimpy. s.

Creative idea. It did exactly what you wanted it to do. Nice job. "The greatest feeling in the world is being right" Expressing your own opinion is fine, but for you rude commenters of this guys' use of his creation shows just how selfish and uncaring to other humans you really are. Try speaking your opinion with respect next time.

My god bobthebuilder. Get over it. For starters, trees are alot more resilient than humans. If you were to hammer a nail into a human, and not puncture any vital organs, yes, they'd be fine. They'd heal. So will the tree. Get a life.

Im all about back-country camping with minimal amenities. That's my preferred method of camping but car camping is a whole different animal. When I go car camping I usually bring something for light and a small boombox to play softly while sitting around the campfire and I have never had a neighboring camper complain. It's surprising how well the outdoors eats up low volume music. it seems to me that the ligting system here would actually create far less light pollution than those ever-popular propane lanterns, I stopped even bringing minen a while back because it is too damn bright and I find that I am annoyed when one of my camp neigbors leaves one on late into the evening.

the point of this site is to read and learn, and to re-apply the knowledge. forget all this elitist opinion and bickering. i learned a thing or two from this gig, and may re-apply it to decorate my living room, or even my backyard.

Yeah this would be great for Burning Man, Reggae on the River, places where the camping areas are like lively little towns at night (Shakedown Street comes to mind). I am going to a music festival this weekend and am trying to figure out how to rig up my bicycle to spin an alternator to recharge a battery so I don't have to constantly run a generator to power lights or other power hungry junk.

I go camping to get away from all the noise of the city etc. You bring all this get up with you out to the woods when you really should just party at home or in your garage and let the little woodland not have to listen to your music. This is why I took up backpacking so I can get away from this crap but it seems to be getting harder and harder to do... *sigh this isn't camping!!!

So let me get this straight: if you are goind to enjoy nature, you shouldn't listen to music or provide yourself with light? That seems a little close-minded to me. Everyone camps in a different way, but I guess like a lot of outdoor activities, there are those who are elitists about it and believe their way is the only way. Personally, I like to camp in an ultra-light fashion, carrying none of the amenities of urban areas besides maybe a book or two, but that doesn't mean I walk around acting better than other people who don't do it just like me. And your comment that "it seems to be getting harder and harder" to camp without being around other campers' noise is nonsense. I've never have a problem getting away from other campsites. You must be going to crowded roadside sites or something.

I totaly go out to the woods to get away from city life. I love the woods, nature and all that stuff. I totaly enjoy the nature stuff, without any amenities. But this wasn't that trip... We had 3 camp sites, decently far away from any other campers. Mostly it was so we could pack up at night and not stumble in the darkness. We went on day hikes swimming in the lakes and whatnot, so I DO apreciate what you are saying. But I like to spoil myself every once and a while. It's a good thing

Personally when I go camping, it is all about bringing nothing, an instrument and a notebook are the most unnessacary items I take along, and I love it that way. However you should respect peoples opinions, sure that is a different kind of camping but is none the less.